


Stories Like Ours

by Green



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Codependency, M/M, Manipulation, Peter's fucked up childhood, Pre-Canon, Uncle/Nephew Incest, Underage Kissing, brief Derek Hale/Paige
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 21:58:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13599225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Green/pseuds/Green
Summary: The first time Derek is overly fussy and Talia can't calm him, she gives up and shoves him into Peter's arms. The baby quiets. He looks up into Peter's face, clear eyes assessing, and seems suddenly content. And the anger, thebitternessin Peter ebbs away, while something else rears up and makes itself known. Warmth fills Peter's chest and he never wants to let go of it. Never wants to let go of Derek.Peter leans down and kisses Derek's forehead the way he's seen Talia do. "You're mine," he whispers, so quiet no one else can hear.





	Stories Like Ours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yesterday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesterday/gifts).



> I think this is sort of what you had in mind? I read and reread your 'dear author' letter so many times lol. I hope you like it!
> 
> Many thanks to TriDom for looking this over and giving me the go-ahead.

From an early age, Peter knows that he's an afterthought. When he's six, his sister Talia screams at him that he's not even her real brother, that his mother was 'some whore from another pack' that their father got pregnant. He doesn't understand it until he goes to his father, tears in his eyes, and asks for the truth.

His father is Alpha. He's gruff and doesn't show a lot of love to Talia, and even less — none at all — to Peter. His mother (stepmother) is already dead. And when Peter asks his father if his mom was a whore, he gets backhanded and told to go to his room.

The only person Peter really feels close to is his grandmother. She comes to him and tells him his birth mother was young when she had him, too young to take care of a baby boy as special as Peter. She tells him how much she loves him, but that the world is a hard place and he needs to learn how to take care of himself.

He listens. He's six years old and already knows he can't have anything for himself unless he takes it. 

He allows himself one fantasy, one wish, for one night. Of his birth mother coming to get him and taking him away to live with her. Of a mother who loves him and takes care of him, who showers him with affection and his own toys. Then the next morning he locks that dream away forever. He knows it'll never happen. Not even his grandma gives him that much love, and she's the only person who's really _his_.

* * *

His grandmother tells him stories when he's too worked up, too angry, to sleep.

She also tells him that the wolf inside him is his own, his friend. That no one else can take away his wolf, and when he's feeling helpless and angry, when no one loves him and even his pack seems to hate him, that he will always have his wolf. That his wolf is special, and loves him more than anything.

"You don't hate me, do you grandma?" Peter asks after listening.

She smooths a hand over his hair. "No, Peter. But I won't always be here."

"Are you going to die soon?" Peter asks. Tears prick his eyes as he looks up at her face.

She nods. "I'm old. Even my wolf is weak." She smiles sadly. 

"I don't want you to die," Peter whispers. If she's gone, he won't have anyone. No one but his wolf.

* * *

Another Alpha kills his father when Peter is eight. His grandmother dies not long after, of old age, and Peter's left alone with his sister, the new Alpha.

Talia's only eighteen, but she acts like she knows everything. She doesn't. Peter's still a kid but he knows that much. He also knows he's now in line to be the next Alpha. For a few months, he has a new dream to hold onto at night: a pack of his own.

But then Talia gets pregnant. And hastily married. Then along comes Laura, the new heir. And nine year old Peter is reminded he's the afterthought, the accident, and that the world is hard.

* * *

Talia's husband, Joe, pays attention to Peter sometimes. Talks to him. Teaches him how to play basketball. Jokes with him about girls, until Peter blushes and stammers that he likes boys. Joe's the first person Peter comes out to, and it goes better than Peter expected. Of course Joe immediately tells Talia, so Peter learns another hard lesson — to keep his mouth shut about everything unless he wants everyone to know. To treat everything about himself as a secret.

Still, Joe is okay. He even helps with Peter's homework sometimes, early on. At least until he realizes Peter's not the way to get on Talia's good side, and starts ignoring Peter just like everyone else does. It hurts to realize it was all a ploy. That Joe never really liked or cared about him. It's a good lesson, though. One Peter won't forget anytime soon.

So Peter is left alone again, with no one to turn to when he needs anything, so he learns he has only himself to rely on. That if he wants something, he has to take it, and even then he has to be sneaky about it so no one else knows.

He doesn't care about Laura. She's just another thing that isn't his, one more person standing in the way of something Peter wants. Sometimes Peter wonders, if Talia didn't have Joe and Laura, would she pay more attention to him? Would she love him, if it was just the two of them against the world? If Peter was her only pack?

* * *

A year later, Derek is born. Talia is tired. Laura's still in diapers and doesn't take being supplanted as baby of the family well. The tantrums are legendary. Joe is often absent, off trying to cobble together treaties with other packs as Talia's right hand.

Some of the baby-raising duties fall to Peter. It was inevitable, he supposes. Talia has finally found something he can do for her. Now, he's useful. Not loved, not appreciated, but useful.

At ten years old, Peter learns to make meals and baby bottles and to change diapers. He learns how to calm Laura from a meltdown, or at least how to lure her away from the nursery so she doesn't wake the new baby, or Talia when she's trying to rest.

Peter hates it. But then...

The first time Derek is overly fussy and Talia can't calm him, she gives up and shoves him into Peter's arms. The baby quiets. He looks up into Peter's face, clear eyes assessing, and seems suddenly content. And the anger, the _bitterness_ in Peter ebbs away, while something else rears up and makes itself known. Warmth fills Peter's chest and he never wants to let go of it. Never wants to let go of Derek.

Peter leans down and kisses Derek's forehead the way he's seen Talia do. "You're mine," he whispers, so quiet no one else can hear. His arms tighten around the baby as he holds him closer. Derek scrunches his face and whines softly. Peter smiles.

* * *

Time moves swiftly. Before Peter knows it, Derek's walking, running, speaking. He doesn't say much, but he knows 'Peter' well. Knows 'no' and 'please' and 'love'. Peter spends what time he can with his nephew, solidifying their bond.

And Talia learns to complete a full shift. Talia transforming into a wolf changes everything. Suddenly other packs want to talk to her, want to be allies. Peter's thrown into a world of customs and etiquette he's never learned before, never had to. Talia gets by on her power, but Peter has to learn. 

(He misses his grandmother so much.)

He learns how packs other than the Hales live. He meets other betas, other Alphas, and sees the structures of their hierarchies. Some packs are closer than the Hales are, but Peter knows better than to wish for more than he has.

He has Derek, after all.

* * *

At fourteen, Talia tells Peter she needs him to take over the role of left hand. Well. She doesn't tell him, exactly. She says she has a problem with someone, and that she thinks they're a threat to the pack. Peter knows what he has to do from there on out.

Joe is the right hand. Peter gets some information from him and then he's off.

His first kill is messy. He almost dies himself because he's not prepared for the fight. But he doesn't die, he prevails. _Survives._ Talia won't be proud of him; he doesn't expect her to be, but he's proud of himself. He did something for his pack. And now he has a place.

Not to mention Peter feels powerful, having overpowered and killed an older, more experienced beta.

When he comes home, Talia looks surprised for an instant before she covers it again. Peter has a wild suspicion that she may not have expected him to live through the encounter. Well, he loves to exceed expectations.

After that, Talia sends him to someone to learn to fight properly, with claws and fangs and even with knives. At least he's smart enough that his grades don't suffer from the influx of new extracurriculars.

He kills again. And again. Never innocents, he guesses, because his eyes never go from amber to blue. It's a relief, somewhat, that Talia isn't sending him after people who don't deserve it.

Joe seems to respect him more now. Peter figures if he can't have the love of his pack, at least he can have that. And it's not as if he doesn't have _any_ love.

Derek lights up when Peter walks into a room. Holds out his arms for hugs. Kisses his cheek with sloppy smacks of his lips. Laura couldn't care less about him, but Derek is special. Derek is Peter's, and has been since the first time Peter held him in his arms.

Peter has to spend more time away from the house, but absence seems to make the heart grow fonder in Derek's case. He's genuinely excited when Peter comes home. 

Talia looks on with slight disapproval, but what can she do? She's not keeping Peter away from the only good thing in his life.

* * *

Years pass. Talia has another daughter and Derek and Laura grow. Peter graduates high school and attends the local community college. He's gotten accepted to Columbia and Stanford, but Talia insists he stay nearby. She needs him. The pack needs him.

At eighteen, it's not an easy pill to swallow. Peter wants more from his life, wants a career. He thinks he'd do well in law.

He's stuck with paralegal courses because Talia won't put him through law school, even though they have the resources.

(He has moments when he thinks about leaving — just leaving. Beacon Hills. California. The _pack_. But then he knows he wouldn't do well as an omega and he's better as a beta. So he shoves those thoughts aside.

Besides, he'd never leave Derek.)

* * *

Packs swarm around Talia now. Somehow, she's become a voice of regal calm and peace in other people's minds, though Peter's not quite sure how that happened. Her power affords her a lot of respect, he supposes, and people see what they want to see.

Deucalion isn't as impressed with her as the others, though. Peter sees it in the way he greets Talia for the first time, the way his eyes flick away in dismissal. He can tell Talia thinks it's respect, maybe even submission. But Peter's good at reading people.

He's drawn to Deucalion ("call me Duke") right away. Duke's power is as strong, if not stronger, than Talia's. He wears it like a mantle, like a crown. Plus he's handsome and has a voice like sin. All of it together make a nice package. Peter has a crush, and he knows it's dangerous, but he can't help himself.

Others respect Deucalion the way they respect Talia. They listen to his ideas. Talia listens, too. She helps him gather others to him. Much of what Duke says reverberates with Peter, but some he doesn't agree with. He doesn't think a treaty with hunters is the way to go, but he keeps his opinions to himself.

And when Deucalion talks of peace, Peter looks away and sees what he's missed.

Derek has a girlfriend.

* * *

Her name is Paige, and she's fifteen like Derek is. Where the time has gone, Peter doesn't know, but he does know Derek's growing into himself, becoming more independent. It's been a long time since Derek's smelled like baby shampoo and Play-Doh, but Peter somehow missed him growing _up_. Or maybe Peter just wanted to keep Derek a kid in his mind so he could ignore the way the boy pulled at more than his heart.

Derek's baby fat is melting away. His limbs are longer now, gangly and lightly muscled. His boy has body hair and smells like musk. He's always smelled good but now Peter wants to do more than just cuddle him and kiss his cheeks. 

And Peter knows he should be ashamed, but how can he? Derek's his. He's always been his. This is a natural progression, he supposes. 

But now Derek smells like someone else, too, someone who isn't pack, and it makes Peter's gums itch with irritation. He scent marks Derek a little more in retaliation. Derek smiles at him, rolls his eyes, but he doesn't stop him.

Peter patiently waits for this girl, Paige, to do something stupid and prove she's unworthy. For Derek to lose interest and dump her. What can she possibly have to hold him, anyway? She's human.

He says as much, though not as causticly. Derek doesn't seem to care. And so it goes on.

Peter wants her to go away and leave Derek alone. He shows up at Derek's high school more frequently so he can scout out the — not the competition, because this Paige girl could never be on his level, but she is a distraction he doesn't think Derek should have. 

He winces when he realizes Paige likes Derek just as much as Derek seems to like her. May even _love_ him.

There are packs in town again, talking to Talia about peace with the hunters. Some of the alphas are violent, ruthless. Talia somehow manages to keep them under her thumb, but it makes Peter think. And he comes up with a plan. Whispers to Derek, plays on his insecurity. He hates to do it but he hates the girl more. Hates that her scent is on Derek like a brand. Hates even worse the way Derek marks her as his own by draping his jacket over Paige's shoulders, smiling like the sun.

Peter knows his jealousy is over the top, but he can't seem to stop himself from wishing the girl dead. Or far, far away. 

Ennis rules his pack in Nevada. Peter would prefer farther, but Ennis is also quite violent. If he gives Paige the Bite, he may go too far. She may lose blood faster than the Bite can heal her. Or, if it takes, Ennis will take his new beta back with him when he leaves. Either way, Peter wins. 

Derek is afraid of losing Paige if she knows he's a werewolf. Ennis is looking to curry favor with Talia's pack, and on the word of her brother goes off to bite a young girl.

He doesn't expect the girl to be so weak she rejects the Bite altogether. He wishes he could spare Derek the pain of what he goes through. But in the end, it all works out. Paige is out of Derek's life and Peter moves in closer, apologies on his tongue and with a strong shoulder for Derek to lean on.

He doesn't regret anything.

* * *

Derek has trouble with his shift after Paige dies. Talia gives him some bullshit mantra and a triskele medalion to help him focus. Peter does his best to help, but even Peter doesn't believe it will work. Maybe Derek picks up on that.

It's after a basketball game and Peter finds Derek soaking himself in the locker room, cold water raining down on him. Derek's eyes glow blue as he struggles to hold back the wolf.

Peter turns off the water, scoffing. "Do you have it?" Derek's fangs are kind of adorable, but Peter's not going to say that. 

"It's not working," Derek tells him.

"Try."

Derek slides down the wall and takes the medallion out. "Alpha. Beta. Omega." His words are more growls than anything else. This goes on for long minutes until Derek, frustrated, throws the triskele across the locker room with a snarl.

"Okay." Peter sits down beside him. Faces him. "Focus on me."

"It's. No use." Derek closes his eyes, and Peter knows he's ashamed of his blue eyes now, but Peter finds them fascinating. Beautiful.

Peter takes Derek's hand in his and holds it over his heart. "Listen. Feel."

Peter briefly considered telling Derek to focus on an emotion, but Derek's emotional enough lately. He doesn't need to make his feelings his anchor. He's too unstable at the moment. But this… this might work. And if it does, Derek will need him. Maybe he won't leave him again for some weak human.

Derek swallows. "What are you-"

Peter cuts him off with a tug to his hair. He slides his hand down to the back of Derek's neck and pulls him in so their foreheads press together. "Listen to my heart," Peter whispers.

Derek obeys. He closes his eyes and Peter watches greedily, close enough he can taste his breath.

"Block out everything but my heartbeat," Peter tells him. "There's nothing else, just that. Just me and you. Okay?"

"Yeah," Derek whispers. Peter watches his claws sheathe, watches the fangs retreat. 

"Good. That's good. Keep listening. It's me, you can trust me. I'm here for you, baby." The endearment just slips out, but Derek doesn't seem to notice. 

Derek relaxes. His head falls forward and Peter lets it happen. Soon Derek's got his face smushed into Peter's neck, breathing in his scent and listening to Peter's heart, so that at that moment, Peter is everything. Peter's his anchor, his rock. 

Peter pets Derek's damp hair and hums softly. "See, I knew you could do it."

"I didn't do it right. Mom wants me to-"

"Shh. Don't worry about Talia. You controlled your shift. You did so good, Derek. I'm so proud of you."

Derek picks up his head and gives Peter a shy smile. But then he seems to have a thought, and he frowns. "You won't always be there. What if I shift and you're not there and I can't control it?"

"Then you close your eyes and you imagine I'm right there with you, breathing with you, holding on and helping you through it." Peter knows it's dangerous, making himself Derek's anchor. But it's too perfect. Just as long as no one finds out and reads into it.

Derek licks his lips and it's all Peter can do to keep from kissing him. As it is, he stares for a beat too long before looking away again.

* * *

In a house with werewolves, there's not much kept private. The walls around soundproofed except for Talia's office, and so Peter hears everything Derek does. They're supposed to respect each other's privacy, but Peter likes to listen to Derek's heart beat slow and steady when he sleeps. Some nights it's the only thing that lulls him to sleep.

But lately Derek doesn't sleep easily. Peter even hears him cry sometimes, though that's tapered off a lot from what it was right after Paige died. Now it's more unsteady breaths, heart speeding up and then slowing down again as Derek thinks about whatever it is that has him in this state.

Since Derek's taken Peter as his anchor, Peter can feel him more easily in the pack bonds. They're closer now, and Derek seeks him out when he's not in school or doing homework. Sometimes even when he is doing his work, because he asks for help. Peter always rolls his eyes but he's never turned Derek down yet. 

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but Peter gets the idea Derek seeks him out and asks for help on purpose. Maybe he wants to spend more time with him. Maybe…

His thoughts are cut off by a soft knock on his door. He can hear Derek's familiar heartbeat, though it's faster than usual. 

It's after midnight and Peter's already turned his light off. He sits up in the bed but doesn't bother with his bedside lamp. "Come in."

Derek peeks his head inside. His eyes glow blue to see and Peter beckons him in.

"Come in and close the door," Peter says quietly. He doesn't want this — whatever it is — to disturb the rest of the family.

Derek's wearing just a pair of loose pajama pants. The moonlight plays on his skin and Peter has the familiar urge to touch him. Derek closes the door and pads over to the bed, but stops just short of sitting down. Peter tilts his head for a moment, then scoots over to give his nephew room. 

Instead of sitting, Derek uses the extra space on the bed to lie down beside Peter. He rolls close against Peter's side and hides his face against Peter's pillow.

"What do we have here, hm?" Peter is surprised, though. Derek hasn't sought out close affection in years, like most teenagers taking their first faltering steps of independence. "Can't sleep?"

Derek's heart picks up speed and he shrugs. 

Peter takes a chance and wraps an arm around Derek's shoulder, pulling him closer. Derek moves easily, draping himself halfway over Peter and slowly moving his head to rest on Peter's chest. Interesting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Peter aks.

Derek shrugs again, as much as he can while half smooshed against Peter's body. He tilts his face up and inhales deeply. "You smell good."

"Pack always smells good," Peter says, but his throat is dry. Derek is acting strange. Peter's trying not to read too much into it, but it's difficult when Derek's rubbing his cheek against Peter's chest and one of his hands is stroking lower on Peter's abdomen.

"You smell the best, though," Derek whispers.

Peter can only guess what he smells like in that moment. Being this close to Derek is making him half hard in his boxers. He knows Derek won't mistake that for anything but what it is.

"Derek…" Peter trails off because he's at a loss. He doesn't know how this could possibly end well.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" Derek asks, a quiet murmur meant only for Peter's ears.

"Of course," Peter whispers. He's unable to say no to this boy. Maybe he should learn how, though. 

Derek makes a happy noise and tilts his head up again. Peter can just make out his features in the moonlight without resorting to using his wolf vision. It's good like this. Darkness hides so much. Peter leans in and brushes his lips against Derek's forehead, like he's done since he was a baby. It feels different this time, though. Not quite as innocent as in past years.

The sleepy smile on Derek's face is worth everything. Peter tightens his hold and runs a hand through Derek's hair. "Go to sleep, sweetheart."

Derek seems to drift off almost immediately, but Peter's left lying awake in the dark, stroking his nephew's hair and dreaming of more.

After that night, Derek seems to take it as a given that he's invited into his uncle's bed. Nothing happens, but to Peter it feels illicit.

Eventually, Talia takes action. There is no confrontation, but Peter's suddenly sent away for days at a time to make nice with other packs or to make not-so-nice with problems. Peter doesn't know if she says anything to Derek, but when he returns from the first trip, he notices Derek's words to his mother are a little sharper, a little colder.

Talia purses her lips and carries on as usual. 

Peter catches Laura sending him confused looks now and then. He raises his eyebrows at her each time, and each time she shakes her head and looks away.

And when Peter sleeps at home, Derek slips in under the sheets and clings. The longer Peter's been away, the tighter Derek holds on.

"It's okay," Peter whispers.

"I don't like it when you're gone."

Peter doesn't know if it's because he's Derek's anchor or if it's something else. Something bigger. Something Peter's both thrilled with and afraid of. "I don't like to be gone, but it's necessary."

"Mom just doesn't want you here," Derek grumbles, and as much as Peter knows it's the truth, it still stings to hear. Derek picks up on Peter's emotion immediately and gasps. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like it sounded. I just meant… she doesn't want you around me. That's all."

Peter huffs. "I'm well aware my sister doesn't care for me. You don't have to apologize for speaking the truth."

Derek swallows audibly. Then, in the softest whisper, "She's a bitch." Peter laughs and squeezes Derek's hand. He doesn't let go. Derek looks down and entwines his fingers with Peter's. He blushes and says, "I wish it could be like this all the time."

"Like what?" Peter asks. He knows the answer but he aches to hear Derek say the words.

"Me and you. Together." Derek sounds so earnest and Peter knows he has the power to hurt the boy so badly, just rip him and his soft heart to shreds.

But Peter can be kind, too. "Maybe someday." Is it kind to give false hope? _Is_ it false? Then Derek gives Peter a smile, one filled with secrets and longing, and Peter thinks that maybe it's not.

* * *

"Things have settled quite a bit," Talia says. "There was that unfortunate hunter problem with Deucalion, but I think it was the right decision to stay out of that. Things are quiet, now. Settled. I don't need you on a regular basis, so… I think it's a good time for you to pursue your dreams." She smiles but her eyes are sharp and tight at the edges. Peter almost scoffs aloud. Talia doesn't give half a shit about his 'dreams', she just wants him away from her darling son.

"This is unexpected," Peter says carefully.

"Of course you won't be able to go too far. Stanford will do, I think." She keeps smiling, brittle and fake.

Is he supposed to believe she actually cares about him? "Stanford has a good law school," Peter says. Just saying the words makes something in his heart jump. Talia has him right where she wants him. She's right that it's his dream. How can he possibly turn this down?

"I've already spoken with Alpha Jemison in Palo Alto and she pulled some strings for you. You're enrolled for the fall."

Peter blinks and nearly laughs. Of course Talia has already planned this, right down to housing, he'd bet. "That must have been some string pulling," Peter murmurs, mind whirling.

Talia shrugs it off. "It was important."

She doesn't say _I want you to be happy_ or _Anything for my little brother_ because they'd both hear the lie. But she doesn't mention Derek, either. So Peter has the option of accepting gracefully.

"Thank you, Talia."

Her smile looks a little less bitter now. "You're quite welcome."

* * *

At night, Derek comes to him again. He's heard everything. Peter doesn't even have to tell him. Which is good, because he was dreading it.

"I don't want you to go," Derek whispers. His fingers clutch at Peter's shirt. "But that's so selfish of me."

"I wish I could bring you with me," Peter confides.

Derek snuggles closer. "You'll be back though, right?"

"I'll always come back to you." Peter says it like a prayer, like an oath. He's never so honest as when he's with his nephew. He's not always truthful, but he's honest.

Derek releases a shaky breath. Then, light as a feather, "I love you."

And Peter can't hold back anymore. He can't. Their eyes meet in the moonlight and it's Derek who moves first, who kisses him like he's starving. Like he can't live without Peter's lips, without the breath he steals into his own mouth.

Peter kisses back just as hungrily, choking back his moans. Derek whimpers when Peter rolls on top of him, pulls him closer and bucks up against him. Peter stops for a moment, panting, resting his head against his nephew's. "I love you, too."

"Don't stop," Derek whispers breathlessly.

Peter swallows. Pulls back a bit more. "We can't do this, sweetheart."

"Peter, please." Derek's hands skim up to Peter's shoulders. "Just… anything. Please." He sounds desperate and shaky, and all Peter wants to do is wreck him even more.

But he can't. He leans in and gives Derek a soft kiss on his already swollen lips. The boy blinks back tears of frustration. 

"Your mother would skin me alive," Peter murmurs. 

Derek's quiet. His fingers knead into Peter's shoulders absently. 

Peter sighs. "Not yet, sweetheart. One day. Okay?"

"I don't want you to go away and forget me," Derek confesses quietly.

"I could never." Peter kisses Derek's wet cheeks, the worried wrinkle between his brows. "Stories like ours don't just end. I promise."

It's overly romantic and ridiculously sappy, but Peter believes what he's saying. His bond with Derek isn't something he can just forget. And neither will Derek.

* * *

Peter thinks he has at least a few weeks left, but Talia sends him away ahead of time, to stay with Alpha Jemison at first, to solidify their treaty, and then to get settled into an off-campus apartment. On the night before he leaves, Derek's eyes are dry, but Peter can smell the misery coming off him when he crawls into his bed.

Peter wraps Derek in his arms. "It'll be alright, pup."

"I'm not a baby," Derek mutters, but doesn't try to wiggle away. He's still shorter than Peter, though that's likely to change. Joe is tall, and Derek is taking after his father in looks. For now, though, he's just the right size to tuck under Peter's chin. 

"You're definitely not," Peter says dryly. This close, he can feel Derek's cock plumping up and smell the desire coming off him. It makes Peter's mouth water, but he's determined to wait. Derek's still just fifteen. 

Derek must smell Peter's lust as well, and he breathes in with a smile. "You want me. Why can't we be together before you leave?"

"Your mother is probably listening in as we speak," Peter says quietly.

Derek sucks in a breath. He smells like nerves and excitement along with his teenage hormones. "I don't care."

"Kinky," Peter teases. Derek's shirt is riding up and Peter traces over the skin above his waistband, the dip of his lower back. "But no."

He knows his Alpha's goodwill only goes so far. At least she's getting rid of him in a way he doesn't mind. At least he can pursue an education. If he defiled her fifteen year old son now, he'd be sent much farther away, and to a less pleasant destination. She threatened to marry him off to one of the Bolton Pack in Maine, once. The conversation happened years ago, but it's impossible to forget. Especially when Talia is always sure to mention the Boltons to him at least once a month.

"Don't fall in love while you're away," Derek says quietly. It's not just an offhand comment.  
The way he says it makes Peter believe he's been worrying over this more than he should.

"I'm a selfish, obsessive man, sweetheart," Peter tells him, brutally honest. "I don't have room in my heart for more than you. You take up every inch of it."

Derek relaxes, his relief palpable. "Okay."

He doesn't say he'll probably fuck others. Peter knows himself, though. Of course he will. But he can't imagine falling in love with any of them. Derek is it for him. His one and only. _Obsessed_ is a gentle word compared to how he feels.

"What about you? Do I have to worry about some pretty little girl or boy turning your head?" Peter asks, a lilt in his voice as if he's teasing. He wants an answer, though. The thought of another Paige makes his fangs itch to drop.

Derek pulls away and looks at him seriously. "I know better than that."

They've never talked about what caused Ennis to go after Paige the way he did. Yes, Peter had convinced Derek she needed to be turned. But it was an orchestration, and Peter isn't displeased by the outcome. He never dreamed Derek would figure that out, though. 

Peter swallows. "Why?"

"No one could ever love me like you do," Derek whispers. He should be scared of Peter's devotion, the intensity with which he loves. But Derek only smells of satisfaction when he adds, "I'm yours."

Peter growls and kisses him before he can think to stop himself. He kisses hard and deep, biting at Derek's lips like he wants to devour him, licking desperately into his mouth. He only pulls back when they are both panting and breathless. Tears prick his eyes from the abundance of emotion and Derek looks at him with an almost religious zeal.

"Please," Derek gasps out.

Peter shakes his head, needing to use his words more than just his actions. "You're mine, but… I'm yours." Derek's eyes go wide and glossy at the declaration. "You own me, heart and soul. Derek. _Derek_ ," Peter whispers, closing his eyes. Their foreheads press together and they breathe each other's breaths like that for long moments. 

"I love you so much," Derek says, breath hitching. He blinks and the tears in his eyes finally escape, rolling down his soft cheeks. 

"Shh, sweetheart, don't cry." Peter takes Derek's face in both hands, thumbs gently wiping away the tears. "I'll be back. I'll always come back to you."

* * *

**Six Months Later**

By the time Laura is done at the police station, Derek is gone again. She knows where he is. And she knows she'll have to pull him away, because they're leaving. It's too dangerous to stay. But telling him that, convincing him… she's not sure she can. 

She gets to the hospital as the sun is going down. She follows Derek's scent, an unmistakable mix of grief and guilt overlaying it. 

Their uncle is in the burn unit. She and Derek aren't even allowed in, but the doctors have already told them how Peter has no chance of surviving what he's been through. They're waiting for him to die. It's a 'miracle' he's held on this long.

Laura agrees with the doctors; she doesn't think Peter will live through this. And with hunters around, she doesn't think they have a choice but to leave him. He's not conscious, so sticking around to make him feel less alone in his final days doesn't even make sense.

She finds Derek in a hall off the burn unit, sitting on the floor, knees to his chest. He's not crying at the moment, but the smell of grief is overpowering.

Laura doesn't say anything. She slides down the wall and sits beside him. Derek immediately leans into her, seeking comfort.

Her heart goes out to him. She knows Derek and Peter are… close. She doesn't like it, and neither did their mother, but not because they're pack and family. She doesn't like it because Derek's so young, just sixteen now, and Peter was always shifty. He could take advantage so easily.

Well. Not now.

"We have to leave, Der," Laura says quietly.

Derek shakes his head. "I can't." The words are rasped, barely there thanks to all the tears he's shed.

"There's a pack in New York willing to take us in," Laura says. "We have to get away."

"You don't understand," Derek says. "This is all my fault."

Laura stills. "You said that before. Do you… can you tell me what you mean?"

"Peter had a boyfriend at Stanford. He answered Peter's phone one day, and I got so angry. I felt… awful. And she came along and made me feel… less bad." The choked out explanation doesn't make any sense.

"Who's _she_ , Derek?"

Derek smells of shame and guilt now. "Katie. She… she…"

Laura wracks her brain for anyone named Kate. Then she gasps. "Argent?"

Derek starts to cry. Laura is too stunned to put her arms around him. She knows, distantly, that she should comfort him right now. Should tell him it's not his fault. But she's numb to his quiet sobbing.

"We need to get out of here. She'll come back once she's realized she didn't get us all," Laura murmurs, mostly to herself. She's the Alpha now. She has to make these decisions.

"But… Peter?" Derek chokes out.

"He's already dead," Laura snarls. She stands and snatches Derek up with her. They're alone in the hall so she can flash her newly-red eyes. " _We're leaving._ "

Derek struggles against the pull of his Alpha, but he's too weak at the moment to break free. He lets himself be pulled along, out of the hospital, out to the car. The hunters will be watching the airports, Laura thinks. They'll have to drive at least to Nevada before they can take a plane, and even then she won't feel safe until they're with another pack.

Derek doesn't say anything more on the drive. In fact, he doesn't talk again for a long time.


End file.
